Unlocking Africa’s Renewable Potential with Battery Storage
- Andrew Mambondiyani
- 34 minutes ago
- 4 min read
In 2019, renewable energy expert Eddie Cross told me that Zimbabwe’s quickest fix to its energy crisis would be solar. But he cautioned that scaling it would require significant investment, and that battery storage remained prohibitively expensive. He argued that without affordable storage, solar could not solve the country’s baseload constraints.
Well, times have changed.
Since then, the cost curve has shifted dramatically, thanks to plunging battery costs and smart tech. What once seemed futuristic is now mainstream: large-scale solar is among the cheapest and most dependable power options across Africa. From rooftop systems in Harare to utility-scale plants in Lusaka, and off-grid villages across The Gambia, Africa’s renewable energy future looks bright.
The Africa Solar Outlook 2026 report released this January provides a comprehensive country-by-country assessment of solar energy development across the continent. The report centers on the rapid expansion of battery energy storage systems (BESS). And according to the statement accompanying the report, falling costs and technological advances are enabling solar power to move beyond intermittency and provide dispatchable, round-the-clock electricity. The African Solar Industry Association (AFSIA) annually releases The Africa Solar Outlook which is widely used by governments, development institutions, investors, utilities, and private-sector stakeholders to inform energy policy and investment decisions throughout Africa.
The report outlines that "Recent analysis shows that it now costs approximately USD 33/MWh to convert daytime solar into fully dispatchable power using storage. Combined with generation costs, this delivers 24-hour solar electricity at around USD 76/MWh, already competitive with, and often cheaper than, new fossil fuel generation, particularly in countries dependent on imported fuels.”
Solar-plus-storage projects across Africa are now operating in applications previously considered unviable, including industrial baseload supply and utility-scale installations. For commercial and industrial consumers, photovoltaic plus battery energy storage systems (PV+BESS) have become cost-competitive with grid electricity and significantly cheaper than diesel generation, even before accounting for the economic impact of grid outages. These systems combine solar panels with battery storage to store excess daytime energy for use at night or during outages.
John van Zuylen, CEO of AFSIA, stated, “Africa has long been perceived as a marginal solar market. The Africa Solar Outlook 2026 demonstrates that this perception no longer reflects reality. Solar is already far more widespread than previously believed, and Africa is now experiencing the fastest solar growth of any region worldwide.”
van Zuylen added that "solar with storage is no longer a future concept. It is already one of the most competitive and reliable power solutions available to African economies today.”
Małgorzata Wiatros-Motyka, a senior electricity analyst at the think tank Ember, stated in the Africa Solar Outlook 2026 report, "We are seeing the first signs of a crucial turning point. Solar and wind are now growing fast enough to meet the world’s growing appetite for electricity. This marks the beginning of a shift where clean power is keeping pace with demand growth. As costs of technologies continue to fall, now is the perfect moment to embrace the economic, social, and health benefits that come with increased solar, wind, and batteries.”
The report found that in 2025, leading performers by solar capacity per capita in Africa included South Africa, Seychelles, Mauritius, Namibia, and Cape Verde, while Chad, Comoros, Equatorial Guinea, and Botswana recorded the strongest year-on-year growth.
Covering all 54 African countries, the report provided detailed insights into installed capacity, electrification rates, policy and regulatory frameworks, electricity tariffs, import duties, and upcoming solar opportunities.
The study notes that “by integrating verified project data with international trade analysis, the report offers the most accurate and realistic picture to date of solar energy in Africa.”
Zimbabwe, for instance, which has been facing a crippling electricity crisis over the past years, is targeting up to 2,640 MW of renewable energy capacity by 2030. The country will add 1,575 MW of solar, 275 MW of bioenergy, 150 MW of small hydropower, and 100 MW of wind. At the same time, 3.1 million households will be electrified, with up to 70 percent gaining access to clean cooking by 2030, meaning they will be able to cook using low-emission solutions such as electricity, gas, instead of traditional wood or charcoal, reducing indoor air pollution and associated health risks.
The country has come up with a raft of policies and regulations to promote investments in renewable energy. These include exemption from import duty on solar equipment, a 15 percent VAT rate on solar equipment, and net metering for systems up to 5 MW.
Zambia, which has also been facing similar electricity challenges, plans to enhance the share of non-hydro renewable energy in the energy generation mix to 33 percent by 2030. Zambia will also increase its installed generation capacity to 10,000 MW by 2030, primarily through renewable energy sources.
Currently, Zimbabwe and Zambia depend on hydropower from the Kariba Dam for most of their electricity requirements. However, the dam has suffered from devastating climate change-induced droughts, which have reduced water levels in the dam, thereby affecting electricity generation.
Uganda plans to add 3,200 MW of renewable electricity generation capacity by 2030 and reach up to 52,000 MW by 2040 through renewable energy and nuclear, supported by policies such as zero import duty and VAT on solar equipment, net metering for systems up to 500 kW, and a target of universal electricity access by 2030.
As highlighted in several AFSIA reports and events over the past 18 months, the major change in the solar industry hinges on storage solutions.
"The new technological developments and price points of storage solutions are pushing back the boundaries of viable solar projects, almost totally deleting the intermittent aspect of solar while remaining cost-competitive with other traditional power generation technologies," Africa Solar Outlook 2026 says.
Africa is also now home to several thriving projects that were long considered impossible. These include a baseload PV+BESS project at a copper mine in the DRC and a 100-MW solar farm with large battery storage in Mauritius is now delivering reliable electricity for just 7 cents per kilowatt-hour, a price once thought impossible for solar power with storage.
And it seems Africa isn’t just catching up; it is already rewriting the rules of renewable energy. Solar panels paired with reliable battery storage have moved from promising to proven. They now deliver dispatchable, affordable, and reliable power at costs that undercut fossil fuels in most markets.
